Kar Logan Speaks on Off and On Camera Inspirations

Kar Logan Speaks on Off and On Camera Inspirations, Popular Web Series ‘Wingmen’ and ‘Situationships’, Landing Opportunity to Work with B.E.T., Tips for the Aspiring Digital Creative and More

There are a lot of people in the world who are multi-talented but not enough of them utilize all of the talents they have. It’s rare when you come across someone who is putting all of their talents to work simultaneously and in this interview Kar Logan, writer, producer and actor, is the prime example of someone who explored aspects of his creative side and is currently putting them to use.

The multi-talented digital creative has his hands in so much that it’s hard to not see him busy. From writing and producing his own web series and a variety of short films to being involved in a popular series that caught the attention of BET., Kar is not only a true go-getter but he also demonstrates what is it to come from nothing and use what god has given you to build a solid brand and name.

I had the pleasure to catch up with Kar where he elaborated on a few things such as his creative inspirations, why he decided to get into the web series world, the Wingmen and Situationships web series and what’s to come for 2019. Check it out below.

1 – What inspired you to get into writing?

I’ve been writing stories ever since I was like 8. I always had this big imagination and when I started reading books without pictures, I would just fall in love with how they were able to paint visual images in my head without actual pictures on the pages. I said to myself: “I want to be able to do this.” So I just started writing my own short stories, mostly black versions of the cartoon and sci-fi shows I used to watch on TV. And as I got older I just started going up with more original stuff and just kept going. Wrote my first script in 2007 when I graduated high school and it’s been going strong ever since.

2 – What about acting and producing? How did you get involved in that?

Acting was something I also thought about while growing up. I’d watch Fresh Prince, Famous Jett Jackson, Kenan & Kel and A Different World and think about how much fun the black kids were having on TV. I said to myself again: “I want to do this.” But I didn’t take it seriously until I got into high school and met one of my best friends (before that I wanted to be a video game designer and a cartoonist.) We actually became best of friends when we both were goofing off doing an improvised skit about a cop getting kicked off the force and we were like “yo you want to act, too?” After that, we would link up and just talk about how we’re going to pursue acting full time one day.

3 – What was one of the biggest motivating factors for you during your come-up moment? Is that something that’s still motivating you now?

My biggest motivation was myself, actually. My family wasn’t always on board. My dad didn’t really have much to say, but my mom was not having it. They’re African so it was either nursing or nursing. That’s it. So I really just had to push harder and convince myself that it was going to happen because after a while I realized that this was all I wanted to do; write and act.

4 – Why did you decide to get into web series creation?

I got into web series when I moved to New York in 2012. A few months before my move, a friend of mine hipped me to Awkward Black Girl (which I think might have been my first web series?) They were looking for writers, I think, and I was like “sign me up!” Watched some episodes and I really like what Issa Rae did with it. So when I moved to NY and I was navigating the film scene, I realized that web content was a lot more accessible. I started hitting the acting scene I got tired of the no’s and the background work and figured that I already know how to write my damn self, and I have friends that love to film; I don’t need this. One week I was a background on this show and they had us in shackles. Not even fake shackles but real shackles (apparently they still make those. Go figure) and after that experience, I was like “…Nah.” Why put up with this stuff when I can just create my own acting roles? After that, I put all my focus into writing short scripts that can be made into a web series or short film (starring myself, of course.)

5 – You’re currently the man behind the creation of two popular web series. One being The Wingmen Web Show and the other being Situationships which was just picked up by BET not too long ago. Explain how you came up with these shows and why did you feel it was important to depict these topics in a visual piece.

So Cylla Senii is the actual mastermind behind the creation of Situationships. That was actually one of the first things she mentioned to me when we first met back in 2014. She learned that I was a writer and she said she had this idea for a web series she wanted to do. She told me “it’s called Situationships” and she went on with her pitch and I was sold. After that, she put together her team, brought me on board and we started working on the first season. She felt it was a very relevant topic that everyone can find a piece of themselves in, ya know? Rom coms and dating shows are never going away as long as we all still have hilariously embarrassing and endearing stories to share. It was after we finished filming season 1 of Situationships and my short murder mystery 5KNIVES where I went to myself “okay, I think I’ve learned a lot more dealing with both of these projects so I’m ready to take a swing at my own series now.” I always had the idea for a fun guy’s comedy about just hanging around and shooting the shit. I feel like we don’t have enough of those shows anymore, besides Atlanta. It’s not too many shows that just show black dudes kicking it and sorting out their own problems. And then came the idea of Wingmen. Fast forward to 2017 where Cylla and I are writing season 2 of Situationships and are trying to figure out how I can get into the mix. When we were putting my character together, I basically realized that it sounded just like my character from my Wingmen idea so we decided to connect the stories. So now we kinda got our own little Marvel Cinematic Universe going on.

6 –  Going back to the last question, Situationships got picked up by BET not that long ago which I’m sure probably goes down as one of your biggest accomplishments. How did that opportunity come about and what was your reaction like when you received the news?

An executive at a network reached out to Cylla after checking out her business card. They liked the product and saw the potential in it and after a few meetings, she was brought into BET and that was it after that. Don’t get me wrong, it was a process, but we were patient. We were extremely excited cause this is what she said she wanted for the show from our very first meeting. Speaking shit into existence is still a thing, so I’m waiting for the universe to answer my Oscar cries.

7 – What role has social media played in your career path, both on and off screen?

Social media has played a pretty good part in what I do now. I never really saw myself on social media. Back when Blackplanet and Myspace were popping I didn’t want anything to do with them. Then I made a MySpace and was like “oh word? This is kinda fun.” It’s definitely helped me craft my voice and say things I might have originally found issues with getting out, and it’s helped me show my personality to the world, basically. I haven’t found a way to turn into money yet, but the constant viral tweets and memes I make have helped me make some pretty dope and big connections. It’s helped me get better at networking and I’ve actually found a lot of my talent for my productions on there, whether it’s actors or film crew.

8 – Which do you enjoy more, being on camera or being behind the scenes writing and producing? Why?

This is a tough one. I’ve definitely been writing way longer than I have been acting, mainly cause it’s so much easier. Let me clarify though, I don’t mean writing is easy, but the actual act of writing is way more accessible than me getting into someone else’s production. Hence me having to create my own roles. I love being behind the scenes of stuff that I write because it’s sometimes hard for me to trust my work into the hands of someone else. I’m like a parent letting their child go spend the weekend at a friend’s house. I’m gonna be checking in constantly like “Did they do this?” or “Did you remember that?” But I love to be in front of the camera (if the role is worthwhile.) If it’s my moment to shine, oh then I’m gonna shine.

9 – In your opinion as a digital creative, what do you think is the most important thing or things that help contribute to keeping ones content innovative and original?

Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box! That’s usually where I go when putting stuff together. Ideas have been done to death. If you thought of it, 8 times outta 10 someone else already thought of it. The trick is to figure out how you can put your stamp on it so people will know “of YOU made this for sure.” We’re definitely in a–I don’t know–a digital renaissance when it comes to creating content. The internet personalities are back and you have so many other platforms to choose from now. Figure out how you can make it work for yourself. Try not to get discouraged. Who cares if @skincare89 is doing the YouTube tutorials that you wanted to do? Get inspired, not discouraged. You’re going to be disappointed as fuck worrying about that.

10 – What was the biggest piece of advice given to you, whether it be related to your profession of generally?

One thing my dad said to me that didn’t really ring true until much later on was “everyone is going to want a piece of the pie but they were never in the kitchen to help you make it.” I see it more and more these days, and not even just with myself. I try to pass that on to people like “not everyone deserves to be on your ride.” Sometimes it can come off a bit selfish but it’s the truth. It’s like back in the day where dudes never put up for the bottle but they always wanna take pictures with it for the internet.

11 – What advice would you give to the aspiring writer, producer, and/or actor?

Find a way. Make a way. We all have excuses and things going on in our lives, so just find a way around it if you can. And if it can’t happen now, don’t think it’s over. Get to it whenever you can. Folks are out here not getting their big breaks until their 40s and they’ve been in the game since they were young adults. Everyone’s journey is different. Don’t compare your road to the next person’s. I moved to New York in 2012 with only $100, no working phone, my clothes in a trash bag and a shit ton of problems. 6 years later I’m still here and making shit happen for myself. Find a solid team, make a tribe, and get some work done.

12 – With 2018 coming to an end, what can we expect from Kar Logan to close out the year? What can your followers expect from you in 2019?

Situationships is still going strong, closing out the year with season 2 and then starting off 2019 with the premiere of the spinoff Wingmen. I’ve got a ton of other ideas I’m ready to get to work on, like a female-led superhero series and a horror short, just to name a few. So if you’re reading this and are into film, web series, acting, production, etc, holla at me!

Check out Situationships on BET.com. Also, check out the official trailer for Wingmen on Youtube.